Your company/business in one line: MCS is the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewable energy technologies, including solar panels and heat pumps.
Meet Adam Padilla, scheme insights manager at MCS, the UK’s quality mark for small-scale renewable energy technologies like solar panels and heat pumps.
Based in Warrington, Adam’s days are a whirlwind of data analysis, strategy discussions, and industry events, all geared towards supporting the nation’s progress to a greener future.
Whether he’s presenting insights from the MCS Data Dashboard to key stakeholders or working on innovative data tools, Adam’s work plays a crucial role in shaping the renewable energy landscape in the UK.
My alarm goes off at … 7am
The first thing I do each day is … Snooze my alarm
I prepare for the day ahead by … Making as strong a coffee as possible and checking my calendar to see what I have on for the day.
I can’t leave the house without … Keys, phone, laptop and, of course, a calculator
My typical day… My day usually begins with a quick check of my calendar to see what I have on. No two days are ever the same, which keeps things fresh and interesting.
I’ll then check for any urgent emails and then get started with anything that is a priority for the day. This can be anything from appraising data requests and helping people inside and outside of MCS with extrapolating information from our data, to building data insight tools or analysing the latest monthly performance figures.
At MCS, we maintain the UK’s most extensive database on the uptake of certified small-scale renewable technologies, which we present through The MCS Data Dashboard – an interactive tool we’re proud to provide completely free of charge to the public.
Our data plays a key role in illustrating the UK’s progress towards cleaner and greener energy, so I’ll rarely go a day without presenting some sort of data-driven insights to stakeholders, whether that be government, trade associations, industry experts or journalists reporting on our national progress to net zero.
I’ll also regularly meet with internal team members to assess how the Scheme is performing and discuss strategies to further encourage the adoption of high-quality renewable installations across the UK.
On some occasions, I’ll also have the opportunity to attend events, panels, or external meetings where presenting MCS data helps inform ongoing projects in the sector.
In any case, days are never monotonous, but always busy.
My most memorable work moment … I think when I participated in my first panel discussion at Solar & Storage Live in Birmingham in September 2023. I had the opportunity to join industry experts like Malcolm Davies from Welsh Government and Gareth Williams, managing director at Caplor Energy, to talk about trends in solar PV adoption across the UK, referencing data from The MCS Data Dashboard.
I definitely felt some imposter syndrome being up there with such experts and speaking to a large audience, especially with the Britney-style mic, but it went much better than I expected.
Public speaking wasn’t something I had experience with, nor did I imagine would become part of my role when I first joined MCS, but it has since become an important aspect of what I do.
The worst part of my job … Anytime I’m asked to be on camera.
The best part of my job … With the vast amount of data MCS manages, I get to contribute to many fascinating initiatives, from developing online AI mapping tools to supporting PhD research projects. It’s always exciting to see how people leverage data, especially within the renewable energy sector.
I relax after work by … Playing football, going to the cinema, and seeing friends.
On my bedside table is … As much clutter as I can possibly fit on there.
The last thing I do each day is … Anxiously double and triple check my phone to make sure tomorrow’s alarm is set, as there’s no chance I’ll wake up without it!
I’m normally in bed by … 11pm – I’m useless on anything less than 8 hours sleep!
Click here to sign up to The MCS Data Dashboard.
Images: MCS